From Within
by Rhannol
Summary: Marinette is avidly pursuing her dreams after recognition from the famous designer, Gabriel Agreste. But will this competition spell trouble for a certain cat? See what life throws in the way of Paris' two favorite superheroes on their journey to understand one another. Eventual romance and some angst.
1. Chapter 1

Marinette dutifully moves her hands as she cuts the silky jade colored iridescent fabric she just got from the shop. The woman who worked there knew her well and offered her several more yards free of charge, which she much appreciated. As she cut out her design she had previously drawn out, her eyebrow furrowed. She had been working far too hard to not win this competition next week.

A week previously, the class had a competition where she made a derby hat. And somehow, her design had reached _the_ Gabriel Agreste. His approval of her design made her swell with pride and determination. Soon thereafter, Marinette started seeking out pamphlets for many opportunities in the fashion community to design competitively to put her name out there. Thinking about the expectations that people had for her made her sigh, as she put her scissors down and stared at the patterns she had cut out of the fabric. She was just plain old Marinette, how could she win these competitions?

Wishing that she could always be as confident and composed as Ladybug, Marinette sunk, hunching over. It's not like she wanted to be the way she was, but saving Paris was completely different from following her dreams.

* * *

"My lady, you seem rather tired lately. Are you not feeling well? There's nothing you can't tell this kitty cat." Chat Noir purred as he said this, but you could see the genuine concern on his face. The past week had been the pair fighting one akuma after the other, keeping the young designer entirely too busy to finish more of her work before the competition's deadline.

Ladybug shrugged, dismissing Chat's question. There was entirely too much on her mind for her to waste time complaining. Not to mention her civilian life was something she liked to keep private.

Disheartened by her obvious dismissal, Chat touched her shoulder in an act of reassurance. "Just know that I am always here when you need me, my lady." With that he took his leave, jumping off of the roof before his transformation wore off.

She took his lead and threw her yo-yo to swing her home as quickly as possible, loathing all the work ahead of her.

There were only three days left before her dress was due, and it was still in disassembled parts on her floor. Pinning and sewing, she carefully started to assemble her creation, working late into the night. Deciding to sacrifice her health, she only got two hours of sleep that night before having to prepare for school.

* * *

As she walked haggardly to school Tikki whispered to her from her purse.

"Marinette don't push yourself too hard, please."

She nodded absent-mindedly, and whispered, "You know I have to get this done, Tikki. In a few days, it'll be over."

Her kwami's concern made her happy, but she knew that this project had to be perfect so she could send it off to be judged.

Slumping into her chair next to Ayla, she groaned as her eyes wanted to close out of pure exhaustion. Ayla touched her arm reassuringly as the lesson began, knowing she was up late last night working on her dress. _If only she knew about the rest of what I have to do,_ Marinette groaned inwardly.

The day went on very slowly, and with each minute, Marinette grew more tired. As they reached physics, she was concentrating on simply remaining conscious, with Ayla nudging her every few minutes to wake her in class.

Suddenly, she was being jolted awake by a harsh voice.

"Ms. Cheng!"

Her eyes flew open and her body jolted up in her seat, as her professor called her name.

"If you think my class is so boring as to sleep through the lesson, maybe you should leave." the professor said coldly. "I don't care for students who don't care for my class."

Ayla mouthed an apology for not noticing that she had dozed off, but Marinette wasn't angry and gave her a weak smile in return. Nodding slowly at the professor, she packed her things away in her bag and walked out of class. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chloe laughing at her, but she was too exhausted to care for the blonde girl's attitude at the moment.

Secretly, she was pleased she was dismissed from class. Though it was not the best of circumstances, she could now go home and work on her dress to send to the competition. The more time she had, the better.

As she walked out of the schools corridors back to her home, thoughts of her final design swirled in her mind, making her excited. _This dress has to be perfect,_ she thought. Even though she was Ladybug, Marinette still had to make a name for herself, too.

Luckily when she got to the bakery, it was very crowded. She stealthily worked her way around the customers, avoiding her parents looks as to why she came home so early.

Running up her stairs to her pink-clad room, she threw her bag onto her bed.

" _Oooph!"_ squealed Tikki as the purse hit the bed.

"Oh no!" Exclaimed Marinette. "I am so sorry. I- I completely forgot about you in there." She picked up the small red kwami and cradled her gently in her hands, before gently placing her on a pillow.

"It's okay," the kwami mumbled. "Just don't run yourself down too much. You still have a city to protect too, Marinette." At this the girl nodded slowly, understanding her responsibility was far more than to herself, but also to all of all Paris, so long as Hawkmoth threatened peace.

Gathering her supplies, she began to embroider her dress, adding the finishing touches to her design. The jade colored dress shown as brightly as ever as she added golden embellishments to the torsos neckline. Her eye for detail and elegance would hopefully push her simplified design through to win the competition. She chided herself slightly for not going out on patrol that day, but she was sure that Chat Noir would be fine by himself for just a day without Ladybug.

* * *

Chat Noir jumped hastily from building to building. He thought he had memorized his Lady's route, but today she was nowhere in sight. It wasn't extremely uncommon for one of them to miss a patrol every once in a while, but after so many akuma attacks occurred in the span of a week, he'd thought that Ladybug would be more wary of the possible dangers that could appear at any time. Hawkmoth was becoming for relentless in his quest to claim both of their miraculous, and the villains he sought after were getting harder to fight. The darkness that he sought after was no longer that of petty grievances between people, but between people with much more twisted anger than he could imagine. Lost in thought, Chat jumped down from the building onto the sidewalk to continue his patrol from a lower vantage point. Distractedly, he looked up at the Paris sky, full of life and light and decided to stroll and look around a bit more before ending his patrol.

"Ouch!" Chat felt a bump against him and he flitted back to reality to see a young woman sprawled out on the sidewalk, desperately shoving papers back into her bag.

"I'm so sorry ma'am," Chat murmured as he bent down and picked up the papers on the ground. Looking at them briefly, he could see many designs for clothing on them. He handed her the sheets, and she nodded gratefully for his help.

"Do you design clothing?" he inquired.

Looking up tentatively, she nodded once more. Then, after she seemed to gain a bit of courage she spoke, eyes glittering.

"Listen, I know you're a big-time celebrity here, but can you do me a favor?" Her lips curled slightly, knowing he had no right to refuse after making her fall. "My company is currently having a competition for junior designers and we'd like to have an amazing prize for the competition. How would _you_ like to be our prize and model with the winner?" She stepped closer to him, moving against a wall.

He stayed silent, not knowing what to do. Even though Adrien modeled for a living, Chat was rather out of the spotlight when it came to hero work and it made him a bit uneasy.

"Er….. I don't think I can take that offer. You know, without exposing my identity and all." He said nervously, touching the back of his neck. The woman was getting increasingly closer, and slammed her hand on one side of him, giving him a start.

"You'll have the mask on," she sighed, as if it were obvious. Digging through her purse, she took out a card. "Unless you want everyone in Paris to think that Chat Noir doesn't have the time of day to repay a kind woman who he knocked down in the street, I'd consider coming."

With that being said, she leaned back and smirked at his shocked expression. Turning on her heels, she walked off briskly into the night, leaving Chat speechless near the wall. He didn't want people to think ill of him, but this favor was ridiculous. Examining the card he'd been given, he saw his father's company logo and sighed. _Of course she'd be from Father's company,_ he sighed.

Tucking the card into his suit, he decided he might as well go. As a professional model, the favor would be easy and quick. _Why not?_ Jumping back on the roof, he started back for home. Paris wasn't in trouble that night, but he sure had gotten himself into something.

 _If only Ladybug were there she could've got him out of this mess…_

* * *

Marinette wiped her brow, rising up from her work to go to her desk. Picking up coffee, she grimaced as she inhaled the cup's contents, as if sustained her life. It was currently 4 AM and her project was coming to a close. The girl knew she couldn't hold out much longer, but luckily all she needed to do was grab a garment bag to put her dress in before she fell into the soft fluffy haven on the other side of the room. As she zipped the bag and hung it on her door to deliver in the morning, Tikki stirred ever so slightly on her pillows.

 _It's finally done!_ She smiled broadly. For all the time that she put into the dress (even with the countless amount of akuma attacks that week), she was proud of the result. It was near perfection to what she had envisioned and shone brightly with its embellishments and vibrant colors. The design was certainly a step out of her comfort zone, with the amount of time constraints, but _this was it._ Marinette would relish the moments when every aspect of her life was working towards her designs and possibly making a line herself one day.

Closing her eyes, sleep took the young designer instantly, and her dreams were happy ones.

* * *

A/N: Any reviews are appreciated. Thanks for reading and I can't wait until you all see what I have planned for our favorite heroes!


	2. Chapter 2

Waking up early in the morning, Marinette prepared herself to deliver her dress directly to the Agreste mansion. Though it wasn't a far walk, she took extra precautions to keep her work safe, taking the longer, less travelled route. Knowing her luck, something terrible would happen if she wasn't cautious.

As she prepared to press the intercom button, the outer gates opened.

"Marinette?" inquired a familiar voice.

Turning, she saw none other than Adrien Agreste. About to leave for school, the blonde boy tilted his head, confused to see her so early at his house.

"G-good morning A-Adrien!" she stammered, clutching the garment bag close to her chest.

"What's that you're holding?" He walked toward her with a smile on his face. "Are you possibly entering my Father's competition?"

"U-uh, yes! I just came to deliver it before the deadline today. I-I didn't want to miss such an important opportunity."

"Then I'll have Natalie take it from you to deliver to my father now," he said, motioning for his father's assistant to take the dress from Marinette. As the woman took the dress and walked back inside the gates, Marinette felt a weight disappear off her shoulders. All she needed to do was be patient and wait for the results now. A sigh of relief escaped her lips and Adrien chuckled.

"You look absolutely exhausted, do you want a ride to school?"

Blushing fiercely, she shook her head.

"I insist Marinette," he said coolly, holding the door of the car open for her. Unable to formulate a sentence, she meekly slid into the car, her face hot.

 _I wonder what Alya's going to say when she sees us._

Sitting stiffly the whole ride, Marinette tried to stutter as little as possible as Adrien tried to initiate small talk with her on the ride to school. For the millionth time, she wished she possessed half of the confidence she contained when she was her other persona, but she was thankful that the conversation was minimal, as Adrien seemed to have something else on his mind.

As the limo pulled up to the school, Adrien exited first and held his hand out to help her out of the car. Taking his hand, she felt her palms getting sweaty and her body growing nervous.

However, suddenly her most intimate moment with Adrien was interrupted as Chloe Bourgeois yanked Adrien's hand out of her grasp.

" _Adrien!"_ she exclaimed, "How could you ever touch a hand of someone so lowly? If you weren't so nice to everyone I'd think you were cheating on me!"

"Chloe, for the _last time_ we are not dating." He retorted irritably, "That was awfully rude of you to speak of Marinette that way."

Marinette stepped out the car timidly and looked down at her feet. Adrien had defended her, but in some ways Chloe was right. She was nowhere near the societal status that those two were. How could she ever attain someone so above her? Lost in her insecurities, she barely noticed another voice that had joined the conversation.

"—I don't think you know who you're talking to." Alya spat. "Marinette is a far kinder and better person than you are, so lay off."

Looking up, she saw her friend toe-to-toe with Chloe, her face twisted in anger. The ombre-haired girl defended her friend fiercely against the mayor's daughter. Adrien stood near the pair, obviously unsure of what to do as the girls verbally abused each other in front of the whole class.

Sighing, Marinette touched Alya's arm. "It's too early for this, let's just go."

Alya looked visibly irritated at Marinette's passiveness about Chloe's insults but decided to head into the school with her anyway, shooting daggers at Chloe with her eyes as she went.

"Girl, you can't let her step all over you forever," she hissed as they ascended the stairs into the school. "you're so much better than she is, and you'd look _way better_ with Adrien."

Smiling at her remark, Marinette was thankful she had Alya in her life. She was always true to her, no matter what.

Taking their seats in the second row of the classroom, the pair was approached by Nino.

"Yo Alya, this morning you were so sick! You really gave Chloe a taste of her own medicine." He grinned and took his seat.

Glowing from Nino's praise, she smiled broadly. Turning to her pink-clad friend she whispered, "But girl, why were you in Adrien's car this morning? Did something happen?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"O-of course not! I just—"

Cut off by a loud thud, Marinette saw a figure she didn't recognize in the front of the burst through the doors. With a menacing presence, the villain was clad in black and yellow spandex, with her blonde hair tied up high on her head. She had pushed Sabrina onto the floor, and a wicked grin was spread across her countenance. Hands on her hips and lips pursed, she scanned the classroom as if she was looking for someone.

"Adrien Agreste," she growled. "Where is he?"

 _Chloe?  
_

* * *

Adrien took his time walking to class. The morning hadn't gone as he'd hoped, and he felt bad for not being able to stand up against Chloe like Ayla did. Marinette didn't deserve the young girls scorn, but his fear of what his father would say if he upset Chloe got the better of him. Destroying political connections with the Bourgeois family could possibly cause him to get in a lot of trouble, and he'd possibly get taken out of public school.

Sighing, he shoved his hands in his pocket, trudging slowly down the hallway.

Sensing the boy was feeling down, Plagg squirmed in his jacket and popped out near his collar.

"Adrien, you can't just mope forever. Think of cheese and feel better."

"Plagg you know that cheese isn't my life," he chuckled.

As he rounded the corner to the classroom, he heard distressed students from within. Hesitantly, the boy approached the door to hear Chloe demanding to know of his whereabouts. Crouching, he opened the door slightly to see the blonde in tight yellow and black spandex.

 _Chloe was possessed by an akuma._ He hit himself for not interfering more earlier, as to prevent this.

Checking around him for people he whispered to his kwami, "Plagg, claws out!"

As the transformation overtook his body, he heard a scream from the classroom. Barging in quickly, he saw Marinette in the clutches of Chloe, being held up by her shirt.

"Let her go!" he yelled. The possessed blonde dropped her promptly and turned to face the hero.

"Without you here, the easier I can find _my Adrien._ " She quipped. Stepping towards him slowly, she was suddenly stopped when Marinette grabbed her ankle.

"Chloe, you've got to stop!"

"I'm not Chloe anymore, I'm Egoiste!" With that, she gave the girl a swift kick in the ribs and continued to walk forward. Marinette groaned and clutched her side, rolling over on the floor.

"Chat Noir, unless you want to end up like that girl on the floor, I'd suggest you give up your Miraculous," she stated smugly.

"In your dreams," he growled, taking out his baton. Dashing towards the girl, grabbing her by the waist he jumped out of the window to take their confrontation away from civilians.

 _We can't risk anyone else getting hurt._ Thinking of Marinette's limp body on the ground made him inexplicably angry. He had to subdue the possessed blonde quickly before anyone else got hurt.

Chloe fought him as they descended into the basketball court, trying to scratch the leather-clad boy, but it had no effect. Chat gripped her fiercely, trying to figure out where the akuma might be located on her person.

Landing safely in the court, Chat loosened his grip momentarily as he looked around for his partner.

 _Where could she be?_

Chloe took this chance to push off of Chat with her full strength, separating the two. Tossing her hair behind her shoulder, she squared up to Chat.

"You can't do anything without your precious bug," she taunted him. "You're so _useless._ A second rate hero at best."

* * *

 __Marinette clutched her torso, pain shooting through her body from Chloe's kick.

"Mari! Mari are you okay?" Alya was by her side and looking hopeless as she kneeled near her best friend's body.

Forcing a smile Marinette grunted in response, attempting to get to a sitting position. Alya gently helped her sit up again, eyes brimming with tears.

"I feel so terrible Mari, I-I've never felt so hopeless. I'm so _so_ sorry." She choked out. "You were so brave to stand up to her."

Gaining her wits, Marinette took in the gravity of the situation they were in. Scanning the classroom she didn't see Adrien anywhere. Did he even make it to class? Did Chloe ever catch him? Was Chat Noir handling it on his own?

"Alya I'm going to go to the nurse's office." She said, gripping a chair to help herself stand. With a look of panic, the other girl reached to help her out. Shaking her head, Marinette gestured to the rest of class, who all looked terrified at the recent events. Sabrina looked the most shaken of all, sobbing uncontrollably in the corner.

"You should help everyone evacuate and stay safe, Alya. I'll be back as soon as I get an icepack and some painkillers, okay?"

She headed out of the classroom before any protests could be made. Looking around for people, she opened her purse and her red kwami flew out, looking cross about her current state and the decision she was about to make.

"Spots on, Tikki! We can worry about me later. Paris needs us."

* * *

Running at full speed, she swung her yo-yo and landed on the balcony above the court, where she saw Chloe and Chat Noir about to face off. She still felt a slight pain in her side, but decided to ignore it.  
 _  
"You can't do anything without your precious bug. You're so useless. A second rate hero at best."_

"Well you seem like a second rate villain, that's for sure. I haven't seen you doing anything but talk, Chloe Bourgeois." Ladybug shouted as she swung down to join her partner.

Chat gave her a look of relief as she joined him. "What took you so long, my Lady?"

"Oh were you worried about me, kitty?" She teased lightly. Looking at Chloe, she was surprised the young newly possessed villain hadn't moved. Remaining on the defensive, the blonde girl was _waiting_ for an attack.

"Chat, where's the akuma?" Ladybug hissed. She wanted to get this over with, because regardless of her being akumatized, Chloe got on her nerves, and the pain from the kick was becoming harder to bear.

"My lady, I haven't the slightest clue. There's nothing distinct about her at all. It's like she's just a normal person… in a suit?" He replied, pensively. "But I can feel it. She is being controlled by Hawk Moth, that's for sure."

His lady unclipped her yo-yo from her belt and grinned as she spun it, walking towards the villain. "Then we just need to get creative and find it ourselves."

Sending her yo-yo in Egoiste's direction, Marinette was surprised when it was dodged with ease. Grabbing the yo-yo, the akumatized girl yanked it and pulled the heroine towards her. Chat leapt towards the girls and was also blocked decisively as Chloe threw up her forearm to block Chat's baton from striking her.

"Am I not the _greatest_?" the villainous girl said, laughing maniacally, as the duo jumped back to regroup. "Now Adrien has no choice but to make me his now that I have all this power!"

Both Ladybug and Chat grimaced at this, cringing at the thought.

"My lady, do you have any bright ideas?" Chat asked nervously.

"Distract her with your charms, kitty cat. I've got a plan, but you need to _really_ woo her, okay?" she whispered in his ear. Suddenly she pushed him away, shouting, "How can you like her more than me! She's a villain, are you crazy?!"

Catching her lead, he responded smoothly, "Well she is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. My dear ladybug you are nothing but a simpleton in comparison to her _purrfect_ aesthetic."

Pretending to be offended, Ladybug huffed, "Well fine! You can have her." Turning on her heels, she walked away out of sight.

Egoiste's eyes danced at the young heroes argued about her. She was the most beautiful, and not even Ladybug could rival her. Chat Noir was an even bigger prize than Adrien Agreste and he was hers for the taking. Glancing over at the hero, she folded her hands across her chest, looking expectantly at him to make a move. Sauntering over to the akumatized girl Chat Noir grabbed her hand, and kissed it softly, making her blush.

"So how about it, my Lady?" he says, looking up at Egoiste's sharp blue eyes. Cursing himself for calling her "my Lady", he leans in towards her face slowly, hoping that Ladybug will save him before he does something he'll hate himself for.

With Egoiste thoroughly distracted, she emerges again stealthily and throws her yo-yo, wrapping it around the girl, as Chat backs away quickly.

Snarling, the blonde turns to Chat, who gives her a toothy grin in return.

"You're mine! Get me out of this, you dumb cat!"

"No, he's _mine_." Ladybug proclaimed. "And sadly, I'm not willing to share."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for the favorites, follows, and reviews! I really appreciate it.


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette furrows her brow, thinking of what to do with Chloe, now that she was tied up with her yo-yo. After inspecting the poor girl, there was no akuma to be found, but it was evident that Hawk Moth had used one to possess her. Every time the duo turned around to discuss their plans, the glow around her eyes would appear, making it clear the villain was communicating with her. Eventually because of the crowds that began to form, she and Chat took Egoiste down into the basement of the school, for privacy from prying eyes.

Deep in thought, Marinette didn't even notice when her earrings beeped the first time. This was a problem they'd never faced before. It was always painfully obvious where the akuma was located, or she knew the victim well enough to _at least_ have a guess.

In front of her, aside from the outfit change, sat a girl without any weapons. Her attitude was so nearly the same that without the spandex, Marinette wouldn't be able to tell if she was possessed or not.

Pacing with her hands behind her back again, she mused over their slim options. While they couldn't let Chloe lose, they didn't have a place to keep her either, and time was of the essence.

 _Beep!_

Startled out of her planning, she looked up at Chat, blue eyes filled with worry. Meeting her gaze with his green ones, he looked at her hopelessly as Egoiste continued to make snide remarks about him.

"If you need to recharge, I'll keep watch." She offered, hoping her voice sounded more cheerful than how she felt.

Walking towards Chat, he tilted his head in response. "I feel like you might need to do that before me, my lady." He laughed confusedly, motioning to his ears. "You only have one dot left."

How could she of not noticed? Her hands flew up to her ears, as her eyes skimmed the basement for a place to sit and recharge.

 _Beep!_

 _Shit._ She thought as she dove behind a large pipe. In a bright flash, she was back to being plain Marinette. Tikki landed tiredly in her palms, desperately in need of a few cookies to regain her strength. Opening her purse, she guided the kwami inside, where she kept spare cookies.

"Just give me a few minutes!" she shouted.

"I'd wait forever for you, my Lady!"

She could hear the flirtatiousness in his tone, forcing her to roll her eyes.

"You did say you didn't want to share me, after all." He added when she didn't respond.

Blushing fiercely, she scolded herself. She hadn't meant to say it like that. But then why was she so affected by his words now? Ignoring the newly acquired and unfamiliar feeling in her stomach she mustered up a response.

"S-shut up, you stupid cat!"

 _Great one, Marinette. You almost reached response levels like when you talk to Adrien._

Slapping herself mentally for being so foolish sounding to Chat Noir, she took in the gravity of her situation once more. Looking down at Tikki, Marinette saw the exhausted kwami scarfing down all the cookies in her purse as quickly as possible, readying for her retransformation.

"Tikki, what should we do? I've never encountered a person without an obvious item containing the akuma…" She shook her head dejectedly, continuing on in a solemn voice, "I can't stay like this forever. The longer we try to figure this out, the more my parents will worry about my absence."

Looking up in thought, the tiny red kwami perched on the purse, cookie half consumed.

"You're right, usually Hawk Moths over the years aren't smart enough to not put akumas in objects..." Pondering over this, her voice became grave as she turned to the girl again.

"Marinette, I think the akuma is actually _inside_ of her."

"How do we remove it then?" the girl replied, voice rising with panic. No matter how much she disliked Chloe, she couldn't believe the cruelty Hawk Moth had instilled upon the girl to completely possess her that way.

"We need to forcibly take it out of her somehow. However, if the akuma is attached to anything vital, there's a chance we could kill her." Tikki spoke slowly. "The more time we waste, the closer the akuma might get to vital organs."

* * *

Chat Noir glanced at the pipe where his lady had gone behind to recharge. Though she said it would only be a few minutes, she had been there for quite some time now. Vaguely picking up frantic whispering, he assumed she was trying to formulate a plan with her Kwami.

Chloe sat in front of him, looking disgruntled at the hero. Her glares were going to burn an actual hole in the back of his head soon if they didn't figure out where the butterfly had put itself.

Noticing the flash of pink light in his peripheral vision, Chat sighed in relief as he saw Ladybug walking toward him.

"What's the plan, _my Lady?"_ he grinned.

"Kitty, we have a situation." She touched his arm gently, her face twisted pensively as she chose her words carefully.

Normally any touch from his Lady would be exhilarating, but he could see from her eyes that she was about to say warranted no light tone. Nodding, he urged her to continue.

"We think the akuma is actually inside her. And you need to get it out with your Cataclysm." She said softly.

Affronted by her idea, he stepped back, gesturing at the akumatized girl in the chair a few paces away.

"If Cataclysm can destroy walls and akumas, it could _easily_ destroy a person." He retorted, "I'm sorry, but I can't get behind a plan like that."

Hearing him, Egoiste turned to him, with the familiar butterfly surrounding her eyes.

"But didn't you always wonder what Cataclysm would do to a person, Chat Noir?" Egoiste chimed in, pleasure in her eyes as she struggled against her restraints. "To save me all you two have to do is give me your Miraculous."

Affected by her words, he clutched his head, pacing as he mulled over Ladybug's plan.

 _He's taunting you. He's testing you. If Ladybug suggested it, she must know that it won't hurt the girl. But I- I can't do this—_

"—Chat Noir you know better than to let Hawk Moth get in your head." Ladybug spoke to him gently. "We need to cleanse the akuma quickly, so please trust me kitty." She cooed, embracing his hunched body as he shook under the weight of what had to be done.

" _Why can't you do anything?!_ You're always the one to give the ideas, but I always do the brunt work. I could _kill her!"_ He spat angrily, pushing her off of him. "You just want to get this over with so you can run away again and hide like you _always_ do."

Visibly hurt, the superheroine stifled a sob at the outburst. At a lack for words, she walked back towards the base of the basement stairs where Egoiste was to keep watch.

Lifeless eyes watched her walk slowly away.

 _"Cataclysm."_ the command was spoken hardly above a whisper, without the normal flair. Marinette didn't want to turn as she heard the young man's footsteps come closer. Egoiste looked visibly nervous and startled, shaking and grunting as she escalated her efforts to escape. Rocking the chair back and forth, terror twisted the akumatized girl's face into an ugly expression. She was sobbing audibly and loudly as Chat Noir's black glowing hand approached her.

Turning slowly, Ladybug met his eyes briefly. The normal gleam in the boy's eyes was gone. As he turned and fixed on the girl in the chair, Ladybug bit back an apology. _He hates me._

Grabbing her collar roughly with his left, he hoisted the blonde up. Raising his right hand above he struck her quickly, closing his eyes as the girl let out a bloodcurdling cry.

The ropes fell to dust, and he let go, watching as Chloe's unconscious body hit the floor with a thud. The butterfly flew out briefly thereafter, and he hardly noticed as his partner cleansed the akuma.

"Bye bye, pretty butterfly." she said solemnly, watching the now white butterfly ascend, and disappear through the ceiling. She quickly scooped the body of her classmate into her arms. The girl's chest rose and fell quietly.

 _Thank goodness,_ Ladybug thought, as she turned towards Chat to share the good news.

"Kitty—"

"I did what you wanted, Lady. Now leave me _alone._ " He snarled, bounding up the basement stairs, fearing the possible bad news his Lady was about to share with him. His heart raced wildly, and the world was drowned out by the pounding in his ears as he raced home.

* * *

A/N: Thank you all for all the favorites, follow, and reviews! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, even though it's a tad shorter than the last.

I enjoy angst way too much, but don't worry! There's a lot of fluff planned too.


	4. Chapter 4

Adrien collapsed as soon he let his transformation wear off, his knees buckling under the weight of his actions. Frustrated with himself, hot tears streamed down his face. He struggled to breathe, a numbness overtaking him from the deed he committed. Gasping for air, his body froze in panic.

 _I killed her—I killed Chloe_. Rolling over and clutching his stomach, the boy was nauseated at what he did. Was the safety of Paris enough to kill innocents for? Ladybug's sense of justice baffled him. Did he idolize her to the point where he could not see her flaws?

The thoughts kept racing through his mind until he felt a stab in his side. Looking to the source of the pain, Adrien saw his kwami with teeth bared at his side, looking visibly concerned for the boy's mental state.

"If you keep up these thoughts, you'll attract akuma, Adrien." The kwami flew up near his face, hovering slightly above him. "You need to go to sleep. Everything is fine, except for _I'm starving."_

 _It's not fine!_ Adrien screamed internally. Flipping his phone over, he pressed the home button, grimacing as it lit up to display the time.

 _5:00 AM._ The blonde sighed, face-palming as he turned over onto his back. He didn't want to go to school in a few hours to see Chloe's chair empty. He didn't want to see Marinette, who defended the class so bravely, in pain. Clutching his sides, he brought his knees close to his chest, steadying his breathing.

Natalie would be coming in his room in approximately thirty minutes to tell him to prepare for the day. Pulling his blankets over his face, Adrien groaned in exasperation. Deciding to take a sick day, he typed out a text to his father's assistant to tell her he was sick, and could not attend school or any shoots that day. With his dark circles and pale face, he was sure that he looked convincingly ill already.

As his eyes drooped, he felt Plagg adjust beside him, urging him to let them both rest after the last day's shortcomings. Sighing, he let the exhaustion overtake him.

* * *

Marinette was emotionally exhausted. After escorting Chloe back to her father, she went back home to assure her parents that she was okay. Walking up to her house, she clutched her side as the pain shot through her body again. Without the suit to give her strength, she was doubled over in pain. _I think I broke a rib,_ she thought, biting back another sob. Before she could reach the door, she heard footsteps quickly approaching her.

"Marinette! My darling daughter!" Her father exclaimed, picking her up. " _You're safe."_ Looking up, she saw the dark circles under his eyes. The man looked exhausted from searching for her, but his eyes shone brightly at the sight of his daughter. Opening the door to the bakery, he called out for Sabine to come down. Placing Marinette down on the sofa, he gasped as he heard her cry out in pain.

"What's wrong—Oh _dear! Papa, get the car._ Marinette is hurt!" Sabine cried, lifting up her daughter's shirt gingerly to see the injury. Her eyes were met with a large bruise on her side, deep purple in color. With that, she slowly helped the girl back to her feet and guided her to the car to go to the hospital.

After running tests and doing an x-ray, it was determined that Marinette had severe bruising, but no broken bones. Sighing in relief that the Miraculous had healed her to some extent, the heroine took the pain medication given to her, eager to dull the pain so she could go and search for Chat Noir later that night.

"Ms. Cheng, your daughter needs to rest for the next few days." The doctor urged, holding out the discharge paperwork. "Do not let her do anything too strenuous, and if the pain medications have any adverse effects, please contact me immediately." Nodding, the woman signed the paper work and squeezed Marinette's hand, a gentle smile on her face. Turning to Tom, she gestured for him to push the wheelchair Marinette was sitting into the car.

The next day was filled with frantic texts from Alya and Nino. Her absence when the school was evacuated caused her friends to worry, and when she wasn't in class the following day, everything exploded all at once. With that and her parents constant hovering over her, there wasn't a moment free to consult Tikki about finding Chat Noir. As she lay in her bed, she desperately awaited nightfall so she could escape the confines of her house.

As night fell upon Paris, she saw the red kwami poke her head from her purse. Nodding to let the small creature that the coast was clear, Tikki quickly joined her on her bed.

Sitting up slowly, she groaned. "Tikki, what am I going to do?" she sniffed. "I don't know if Chat Noir will ever want to see me again, and I have no idea who he is behind the mask."

Throwing her feet over the edge of her bed, she stood and stretched. With her blue hair falling gently to her shoulders, she turned to her kwami with a determined look in her eyes. She knew she had to try.

"Spots on."

Ladybug's search was fruitless. She traversed across the rooftops, taking their patrol route, looking for the slightest sign of him. No flickers of black crossed her vision, and as she searched on she felt more hopeless.

Doing the utmost to find her partner and tell him the news, she stayed out for many hours traversing the rooftops of Paris. Yawning, she disappointedly let her body take her to the only place left that she could think of, the Eiffel Tower. Standing above the city, she felt the cold wind hitting her across the face, making her eyes feel dry. Slumping back against the frigid metal, she sighed deeply.

 _Maybe he just didn't want to come out today?_ Shaking her head dejectedly, she knew this probably wasn't the case.

Her body felt like lead, but she reluctantly lifted herself up. Grimacing at the pain in her side, Marinette winced visibly. The pain medication was running out, and that meant it was time to call it a night. Grasping the yo-yo at her hip, she leaped off the building and threw it ahead of her, heading back towards home.

As soon as Ladybug reached the bakery, she let her transformation wear off in a flash of bright pink light. Tikki flew up to her face, nuzzling it as her hot tears ran down. Frustrated with her inability to make things right, the blue haired girl quietly slipped back through the hatch and into her sheets.

Marinette been out of commission long enough, and though her search was not over, her identity as a civilian needed to remain intact. Her first day back at school was approaching quickly the next morning, and everyone was expecting her to go. Flitting her eyes shut, she prayed for a better tomorrow.

* * *

It had been two weeks since she'd seen Chat Noir except for in passing. No longer patrolling with her, she didn't see him anywhere on her daily route throughout the city. Even akuma attacks were spent in silence. He'd barely give her a look as he quickly expunged enemies with his Cataclysm. A cold, hard look was in his eyes, and whenever Ladybug tried to imitate a conversation between the two to clear things up, she'd be cut off by his abrupt excuse to leave.

 _If you think about it, he's treating me exactly how I treat him._ She groaned inwardly, putting her head in her hands. _Maybe he was right. I always run away, pushing everything on him._

Though she was currently sitting in history class, she couldn't remain focused but for a few moments. Emotionally exhausted from the recent transgression they had, everything still felt just as fresh as when it happened. Fighting back tears proved to be difficult, and Alya could not help but notice the drastic change in her friend's appearance and mood after her return to school the other day. Catching the dark haired girl staring back at Chloe's empty chair again, Alya noticed as her eyes flashed with grief. _Did something happen with her and Chloe?_ The mayor's daughter had been absent for the past two weeks, claiming emotional distress after being transformed into a super villain. From how Marinette looked, she couldn't blame her for taking some time off. Marinette looked more exhausted than she did when she pulled all-nighters to finish her designs, and she'd had this same look for the past two weeks after the attack. Whenever she'd bring up her concern, it'd be waved off hurriedly as Marinette tried her hardest to fake happiness.

During lunch, Alya tried again.

"Marinette, you know you could tell me _anything_ that's bothering you." The red haired girl touched her arm gently, noticing her friend had barely touched her lunch yet again.

Eyes widening in the realization of Alya's concern, Marinette waved her hands wildly, forcing a grin upon her countenance.

"Alya for the last time! I'm _fine_. Stop worrying about me, _seriously_. It's all good." The raven-haired girl straightened up and took a bite of her sandwich, desperate to prove that she was okay to her best friend. The last thing that she wanted was for her Alya to worry about her, and she couldn't even tell her the problem without compromising her secret.

Finishing lunch, the two girls walked back into the classroom. As they settled into their seats, Adrien and Nino turned around.

 _Now that you think of it, Adrien looks just as exhausted as Mari,_ Alya noted mentally.

"Hey _ladies_ , what do you think of joining us later for a movie?" Nino's voice was cheesy and flirtatious. His intentions were obviously to discreetly go on a date with the golden-eyed girl next to Marinette.

"We'd love to go!" Alya exclaimed. "Right, Mari?"

"A-actually, I think I'll pass. Sorry. My competition announcement comes in the mail today." She saw her classmate's faces sink.

 _Hopefully the competition goes my way,_ she thought. _But knowing how I am, I don't really deserve it after all of this. I don't deserve to be happy when I'm such a terrible person._

The bell rang, and class continued as per usual. Staring blankly at the board as the professor lectured, Marinette barely noticed when everyone started to pack up their belongings for the day.

Scrambling to shove her tablet and textbook in her backpack, she bid Alya and Nino a quick adieu, in a hurry to finish her homework so she could go look for Chat on patrol later. As she rushed out of the doors, she was suddenly sprawled out across the floor.

Looking up, her gaze was met with emerald eyes. Adrien offered her a hand, and she pulled herself up silently, not having enough energy to be flustered. Upon looking at his face, she noticed how worn the boy looked. His naturally shiny hair was dull, and his face looked thin, with dark circles under his eyes.

"Sorry about that," She mumbled. "Take care of yourself, okay?" She waved and quickly ran out of the school, leaving the boy standing dazed in the middle of the pathway.

"She didn't stutter," Adrien noted dryly.

A/N:

Thanks for the likes and favorites, everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long, but I'm actually almost done the next one, so expect it within the next few days! If any of you all want to talk to me about my story or give suggestions, my tumblr is verbigeratingidiolalia. x


	5. Chapter 5

Marinette struck the young model as more interesting by the day, not only was she brilliant and driven, but she was multifaceted in ways that he couldn't believe. However, when she got around him she never could keep her composure. Did she hate him? Did he make her uncomfortable? After the incident with Egoiste a fortnight prior, he'd become very aware of her. Where Ladybug was dishonest and secretive, Marinette seemed to be her the polar opposite.

Finding the seat behind him empty after he came back to school made his heart wrench in ways unimaginable. Not only was Chloe not present, but the girl who tried to save everyone was missing as well. He let everyone down. What if Marinette sustained life-threatening injuries? After asking around, Alya choked out that she let Marinette head to the nurse's office after they all started to evacuate, and never saw her since then. Tears were brimming her eyes as she again called the bakery, to no response.

Looking over at her auburn-haired friend, he could see the obvious distress on her face as she frantically typed into her phone, trying to get a hold of Marinette's whereabouts.

" _Where is she?"_ she murmured, running her hand through her hair.

During the lunch break, Nino nudged Adrien out of his stupor. The model wished he hadn't come to school again, even though his kwami tried to reassure him that everything was fine. Plagg reasoned that the school was not trying to cover up Chloe's death with the announcement that she was taking time off for emotional distress, and that he needed to talk to Ladybug to clear things up.

 _"Adrien you didn't even stick around to see if Ladybug's plan worked," the black kwami spat after he ignored Ladybug's attempts to talk to him after another akuma attack. "You need to listen to what she has to say at the least." Looking at him with concern the kwami quietly added, "She's your partner."_

 _"She was my partner, Plagg." He growled. "If I could cleanse the akuma after attacks, I wouldn't even bother working with her anymore."_

He'd been avoiding his Lady for two weeks now, and it was taking its toll. How was he supposed to confront the fact that the love of his life put him through such an atrocity for the sake of so called _justice_? Why couldn't she have used her Lucky Charm to help Chloe? Adrien harbored more hatred for the superheroine by the day.

Later in the evening after school, Adrien lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling as he yet again neglected his homework. Feeling a buzz, he flipped over his phone to see that he received a text from Nino.

 _N: Marinette's been found bro. Alya just told me she was discharged from the hospital today._

Clutching his phone, he let out a sigh of relief before throwing his phone back onto the mattress.

 _At least she's safe._

* * *

As Marinette made the trek home, she thought back to Adrien's face. From all that she gathered from Alya, he wasn't present at the time of Egoiste's attack.

 _Maybe it's something at home?_ she pondered. Then her mind drifted to Chloe. With the mayor's daughter missing from class, of course Adrien would be worried.

 _He probably likes her, after all._

Hitting herself for being jealous, she walked up the stairs and opened the door to bakery, the door chiming slightly. Sabine was behind the counter, helping bag some sweets for a customer.

"Hi, honey!" she beamed as she carefully placed the cookies in a bag. "There's a letter for you on the kitchen counter _. And it's from Gabriel Agreste._ "

Quickening her pace slightly, Marinette bounded up the stairs to the kitchen. Grasping the letter in her hands, she tentatively pried it open. Unfolding the paper inside she let her eyes scan the paper excitedly.

 _"Dear Marinette Dupain-Cheng,_

 _Thank you for participating in our Annual Junior Designer Competition. Your submission was well received by our judging committee, and we congratulate you on your hard work. We cordially invite you to showcase your design in our upcoming amateur designer's show, hosted by Gabriel Agreste…"_

Squealing, the designer jumped in delight at the news. "I WON! OHMYGOODNESS!"

Tikki tentatively stuck her head out of Marinette's purse at the excitement. "I knew you could do it, Marinette!" She whispered excitedly before tucking her head back into the bag. With that, she heard a loud set of footsteps climbing up the stairs from the bakery to the house.

Soon, a large set of arms took her up into an embrace. "I knew you could win. My amazing daughter, the soon to be famous designer! I'm so proud of you!"

"Papa, stop! I can't breathe!" she giggled. Gingerly placing her down, Tom smiled broadly.

"Your mother and I heard the excitement from downstairs." He continued, poking her nose playfully. "I'm going to go mind the shop so she can come up and congratulate you properly." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, and hurried back down to the shop.

A few seconds later, another set of footsteps followed. Swinging the door open excitedly, Sabine rushed to her daughter and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations, Marinette!" she chorused in a sing-song voice. "Papa and I need to take care of some customers, but as soon as we close, we are going make you your favorite meal to celebrate!"

Picking up the letter again as her mother headed back to the bakery, she read the rest:

 _"A special celebrity guest will also be in attendance to help you showcase your winning design down the runway. Please be sure to confirm your attendance as soon as possible by calling the number below.."_

Grinning, she sat down on the couch, rereading the letter as much as physically possible. Picking up her backpack, she rustled through it grabbing her cellphone to call the number left in the letter. Soon after, she sent her good news to Alya, who excitedly responded back in a flurry of messages.

"Tikki, I don't think I've ever been this happy. Luck might be on my side after all."

* * *

 _Ladybug didn't patrol yesterday_.

For the last few weeks, he'd been stealthily avoiding the flashes of red on rooftops and round corners, but not that night. Though the leather-clad superhero was relieved he didn't have to waste effort in avoiding Ladybug, in the back of his mind he was worried.

Grimacing at the fact that he still cared about her, Chat Noir thought back to Plagg's words earlier in the week. Maybe he should hear her out—listen to her side of the story. Resting on the edge of a building, he swung his feet as he distractedly mulled over the idea of finally confronting her about what happened when Chloe was akumatized.

A rustle down below made his ears twitch, and below he saw something unexpected. A teenage girl dressed in a light blazer and pink pants was walking on the sidewalks below.

 _Marinette?_

What could she possibly be doing here? Walking along the road at a late hour wasn't safe. Seemingly mumbling to herself, she looked defenseless as ever, traipsing around the streets of Paris.

Jumping down from the building, he caught up to her and tapped her on the shoulder gently. Shrieking, she jumped and turned around defensively, as if she was going to fight him.

"Woah there! Calm down, Princess—it's just me!" Throwing up his hands innocently, Chat saw her roll her eyes in annoyance.

" _Oh._ It's only _you_. _"_ She scoffed, resting her hand on her hip. Watching as his face changed to one of mock offense at her response, the girl smirked.

"Yes it is _me._ The toughest, strongest and _best looking_ superhero in all of France." Swooping to a low bow, he continued as he sent her a cheeky grin. "At your service, _Princess._ "

Folding her arms over her chest, Marinette had an amused twinkle in her eye. Though outwardly she was annoyed at Chat's behavior, inwardly she was thankful that she had finally found him and he actually _spoke to her._ Even if it was just as Marinette, it was relieving to finally hold a conversation with him after three weeks of being ignored.

Looking around him curiously, she decided that this was her chance. Tentatively, she raised the question:

"Where's Ladybug?" watching his posture change slightly, she pressed on anyway. "Don't you both always patrol together?"

Obviously uncomfortable with the question, the superhero threw his gloved hands up exasperatedly. Sighing, he responded in a low voice.

"Hell if I know. I can protect the city fine on my own."

Rendered speechless for a few seconds, Marinette gathered her thoughts. If she wanted to reconcile with her partner, today might be a catalyst for what was to come. This conversation needed to be calculated and careful on her part.

"I'm sorry kitty, did you two get into a fight?" she asked softly.

"You could say that." Looking off at the streetlights ahead, Chat's expression looked betrayed and hurt. "She made me do something I regret. I can't respect her after what she's done to me."

Turning towards her slightly, he grasped her hand between his, giving it a soft kiss. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better, Princess. I let you get hurt. You were really brave that day."

Shaking her head vigorously, she refused the compliment. "It's you and Ladybug who are always the brave ones. I just held her off until you could save the day, like always."

Noticing they were still holding hands, Marinette yanked hers away quickly, a blush creeping up her face. Chat chuckled at her flushed response.

 _What's this feeling again? No—I need to fix this situation first. Emotions later, Mari._

"Is something on your mind too, _purrhaps?"_ Chat inquired.

"Don't change the subject, Chat." She said, her voice gentle but firm. "You two are partners, you should work out whatever problems you have. Not just for yourselves, but for all of Paris."

Shrugging noncommittally, the masked boy started to walk forward down the sidewalk, embracing the crisp night air.

"I killed someone." He said after a few moments of silence. "Ladybug didn't even bother to use her Lucky Charm. I killed your classmate, Chloe."

Marinette stopped in her tracks. _So that's what this is all about._

"But the school told us she was taking off time for stress." She offered, trying to alleviate his mind. "Chat, Ladybug is smart, right? She wouldn't make you do something like that unless she thought it through. She certainly wouldn't ever make you _kill_ someone."

Stopping a few paces ahead, he turned whipped around, green eyes fiery with anger. "Why are you defending her? It's not like you were _there!"_

"The school could be lying for all you know. They told us one thing, but she could be _dead._ She won't even respond to my texts—" he stopped abruptly, covering his mouth quickly as he realized what he said.

Before Marinette could even speak, Chat cut her off with a brusque, "I have to go now. Be safe, Marinette." Extending his baton, he shot up to the rooftops, where he quickly disappeared into the night.

 _Chat knows Chloe?_

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting! I'm trying to crank out chapters quickly before the semester starts again, so enjoy this new chapter!

x


	6. Chapter 6

_Chat knows Chloe!?_

Marinette's mind was imploding on itself. Clutching her pigtails, she pulled on them in frustration. Pacing back and forth on the sidewalk where Chat Noir left her, the girl mulled over the possibilities.

It was completely plausible that Chat knew Chloe from one of her rich social circles. However, the situation just didn't add up. Though she was protective about her civilian life, Chat Noir seemed more relaxed about being himself around her. Why would he run away after saying he knew Chloe?

Turning on her heel, she started to walk home. Taking her phone out of her pocket, she pretended to dial and held it to the side of her face, sighing in exasperation as she stomped down the sidewalk.

"Tikki, what just happened?"

Poking her head out of Marinette's purse, the kwami quickly flew into the girl's blazer, near the collar.

Continuing slowly, the superheroine gathered her thoughts, "I-I just don't see how saying that would provoke that kind of response, you know?"

"But I thought you didn't want to reveal your identities, Marinette," the kwami whispered, just so the girl could hear.

"Curiosity killed the cat." Marinette shrugged. "After all, what he said must be pivotal to who he is, right?"

Tikki huffed loudly in her collar. Though it was hypocritical for her to want to know his identity now, it could help her in the long run. If she could find the boy behind the mask, maybe she could work everything out between them.

 _No more secrets,_ she silently vowed.

"What… what if I know him as Marinette?" she whispered nervously.

Scrunching her face, she cringed in embarrassment. If the boy behind the mask knew Marinette already, they saw her in all of her klutzy glory. If he hated Ladybug now, he could only think worse of her if she revealed her identity.

"So what if he knows you as Marinette?" the kwami replied. Tikki adjusted slightly so that Marinette could see her face, which had softened. "You're amazing with or without the spots, Marinette."

Slumping over, Marinette pretended to hang up her cell phone, placing it back into her purse.

The cool hit her face as she began to walk faster. Overwhelmed by the turn of events, she was consumed by the possibilities of what just happened. Because of what just happened, Chat Noir would probably avoid her as a civilian and as Ladybug. Groaning in frustration, Marinette rubbed her temples and tried to formulate a new plan to reconcile with Chat.

 _I am so stupid, I can't even help myself get out of this mess now. And both Chat Noir and Adrien seem to have some emotional attachment to Chloe—_

Her chest tightened at the thought. Chloe had seemingly defeated her on both fronts. Both of the boys who were important in her life were taken by the mayor's daughter, and she was nothing in comparison.

 _No. You're better than this, Marinette,_ she scolded herself. _You're above this. You are Paris' superheroine- boys come second._

Sliding into an alleyway, she looked around herself cautiously. Stopping behind one of the dumpsters, she beckoned Tikki out of her hiding place.

"Spots on, Tikki. Let's go home."

Nodding, the kwami flew into her earrings, and a comfortable warmth spread over her body as the transformation took place. Comforted by Tikki's presence, the superheroine grabbed the yo-yo from her hip and spun it before throwing it up to the rooftops. Swinging home, the rush of adrenaline helped clear her negative thoughts as she flung herself through her trap door onto her mattress.

As her transformation wore off in a flash of pink light, Tikki settled down onto the comfortable mattress below to get ready to sleep.

Changing for bed, she took out her signature pigtails, letting her hair fall to her shoulders. Walking over to her bathroom, she sighed as she looked at her haggard appearance. Though Marinette needed to figure out things as quickly as possible, she had other obligations. Letting her two lives overlap into one another like this was dangerous.

As she tucked herself in, Marinette's mind was riddled with the events of the day. Though her thoughts were consuming, the exhaustion soon won out over everything, and she was enveloped in darkness.

* * *

Marinette's eyes shot open. Her phone was ringing on full volume next to her. Rolling over, she saw Alya's name on the screen and swiped to answer, eyes half-shut.

"Hello?" she answered, groggily.

"MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG WHERE ARE YOU?! Are you going to be late for class? _Isweartogodifyourbuttisstillinbed—"_

Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she propped herself up on her elbows and pulled the phone away from her face. Checking the time, she gasped.

"Alya, it'll be fine I'm on the way right now actually so I'll see you in a few minutes!" Marinette lied, holding her phone against her face as she tugged off her clothing. Ending the call quickly before her friend had time to respond, Marinette quickly dressed and brushed her teeth. Motioning towards her kwami, she smiled meekly, knowing Tikki wouldn't be happy about the misuse of her powers.

The red kwami shook her head, chuckling. "It's fine. Just say the words."

Grinning apologetically, the girl motioned toward her earrings. "Tikki spots on!"

Hopping on top of her mattress, Marinette worked her way outside of her trapdoor onto her balcony. Looking around cautiously, she threw her yo-yo in the direction of the school and braced herself as it pulled her across the bustling city. People's faces turned towards the flash of red bounding over the rooftops, but she was too rushed to greet anyone. Landing in an alley close to the school, the dark haired girl sighed as she walked behind the dumpster to transform back to her civilian form

Tikki flew into her purse with a swiftness, and the girl rounded the corner. Running full tilt to the school's stairway, there was no way she could've noticed the leg that was stuck out in front of her.

Meeting the ground for what seemed like the thousandth time, Marinette stuck her arms out in front of her to brace herself for the inevitable fall. However, it didn't come. A strong pair of arms caught her around the waist and helped her regain her balance. Turning to thank the person who saved her, her blue eyes were met with soft green ones.

 _He always seems to be in the right place at the right time,_ Marinette thought. _I need to get over him—he likes Chloe._

"Are you alright?" Adrien unwrapped his arms from around her waist with a bit of a flush on his cheeks. "Did someone trip you?"

Lost for words as always, Marinette brushed herself off and shook her head. Looking around her, she was met with familiar icy blue eyes in the crowd. Chloe Bourgeois rounded the corner, a smirk on her lips as she pulled Sabrina alongside her to go upstairs into class.

A determined look in her eyes, she walked through the threshold of th building and up the stairs to her classroom. Alya was standing in a group of people, phone out and recording as Chloe was being questioned about her whereabouts and her experience being akumatized. Adrien and Nino, walking into the classroom shortly after Marinette joined in as well.

Reveling in the newfound attention, the blonde addressed the group about how terrifying it was to be akumatized and how stressful it was for her health after the fact. Her classmates gave her sympathetic responses, relating to her experience as many of them had been akumatized as well.

Alya then piped up, phone in hand: "Chloe, you said it was terrifying to be turned into Egoiste?"

The blonde looked over exasperatedly, "Well, duh. I remember everything, it was _horrible."_

"No one remembers what happened while they were akumatized, Chloe," Alya stated smugly. "Unless Hawkmoth changed his entire game plan for one person, I don't see why you'd be an exception."

The class murmured as Chloe's affronted expression offered no reassurance. Tangled in her own lie, she shot back. "I deserved a break okay? It's hard being _me_ , so I went to Italy for two weeks. Can you blame me? It was the _perfect_ excuse if I do say so myself. Daddy supported me the whole way, so you can buzz off—"

Suddenly a hand was placed on her shoulder. Adrien Agreste, who was described as nice on all occasions had a look of utter malice in his eyes.

" _You took a vacation?"_ Voice shaking in disbelief, the boy couldn't process the information given to him. Running his hand through his hair, the blonde-haired boy slowly walked away from Chloe and exited the classroom without so much as a word.

" _But Adrien! You would've done it too!"_ Chloe called desperately behind him.

Without so much of a look over his shoulder, he retorted "No—I wouldn't have. I'm mad I ever worried about you, Chloe Bourgeois."

Running out the room behind the model, Chloe shrieked, "I'm sorry I didn't answer your texts, okay? I just wanted you to worry about me more! Adrien, please!"

* * *

As the class finally settled into their seats after the whole ordeal, Marinette was once again thrown into deep thought. Placing her head in her hands, she let out an audible sigh. With this, the professor turned from her lecture. Placing her hands on her hips, she addressed the girl:

"Do you think my class is boring, Ms. Dupain-Cheng?"

 _Shit. Not again._ Her attention snapped up to see the piercing blue eyes of her teacher locked with her across the classroom.

Alya decided to step in: "Madame that was a yawn, Marinette didn't get much sleep last night. Your class is always her favorite." Marinette chimed in with a vigorous nod and a meek smile.

"Very well." Turning back to the board, the instructor continued on with her lecture. Looking down into her notebook, Marinette noticed the page she had allotted for notes was completely empty.

Shooting a look to her left, she thanked Alya for being her savior in hard situations. Placing a hand on her shoulder, the ombre-haired girl smiled broadly.

 _I wish I could just tell her everything,_ Marinette sighed inwardly. _It'd be so much easier if she knew the truth. I'm sure Ayla would know what to do._

Drumming her fingers on her notebook thoughtfully, an idea came to mind.

As the class period ended, Alya rose from her seat. Marinette quickly grabbed the sleeve of her plaid shirt, gaining her attention.

"What's up, girl?" Turning towards her, Alya leaned against her desk, waiting.

"I need some advice…" Marinette chose her words carefully. She wasn't asking Alya about herself of course. She wasn't revealing anything.

Alya grabbed the girl's hands excitedly, her eyes glowing with happiness.

"I've been waiting for you to say something for weeks!" Realizing she was too happy about her friend finally opening up, she changed to a more solemn tone. "You know you can always confide in me, Mari. No matter what."

Gulping, Marinette's eyes quickly flicked back and forth, checking the room for remaining students. Peering the door, she saw that Nino was waiting expectantly on the two girls for lunch.

"C-can we talk about it after school? If you're not busy?"

"No." responded Alya, her face completely serious.

"No? Oh well I mean I understand, of course—"

"Girl, I'm kidding," Alya chuckled "Let's go to the park after school and we can talk it all out." Pushing herself off of her desk, she walked over to Nino at the door, shooting a cheeky smile back at her best friend.

* * *

After that, the day couldn't go by any slower. Throughout lunch and class, the superheroine kept looking at her watch, waiting for school to end. As more time passed she became increasingly anxious about her decision to consult Alya about her problems, but the reassuring looks her friend gave her made her feel at ease. Alya was someone she could trust above all else.

 _Lying to her hurts._

When the final bell rang, Marinette grabbed Alya's hand and pulled her out towards the park. Avoiding Nino's pestering about where they were headed, the two girls rushed over and sat on a bench, shaded by a large tree.

Looking over at the large fountain in the middle of the park, Marinette started twiddling her thumbs nervously. Though she was impatient about this conversation, she didn't know where to start. Looking down at her purse, she saw Tikki poke her head out in reassurance.

Her gaze fixed on her lap, Marinette began:

"So what if I was to say that I—a friend of mine got into a big misunderstanding with someone they're close to. A-and they don't know how to work it out with them because they think that friend hates them. Then, they figured out why they were mad, and now that the issue is out in the open, they don't know how to approach them anymore." Biting her lip, she looked nervously back up at her green-eyed friend.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Alya sank back into her seat, a pensive look crossing her face. Turning to face Marinette, she smiled kindly as she responded, "I personally think your friend should just be honest with this person and try to work things out. I know you probably don't think it's that cut and dry, but you just need to sit this person down and have a heart-to-heart."

"But I don't know when he will want to see me again! All he does is run away from me—" Marinette caught herself, slapping her hands across her mouth. "I mean, my friend."

Alya didn't seem to mind the slip-up. Wisely avoiding her friend's mistake, she beckoned Marinette for a hug. Embracing the girl tightly, she whispered, "Some friendships are worth fighting for Marinette. You can do this. I've got your back."

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! Hopefully you enjoy this new chapter! Feel free to favorite and review :)


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